How to clean the oven?

Ovens are wonderful features in a kitchen—they allow us to cook up delicious family dinners, create romantic meals and bake fantastic goods! How often do you use your oven? We at homify have no doubt that it's daily!

But when it comes to keeping the oven clean, we can pull our hair out. Oil spills from the oven tray and blackens at the bottom, it can get smokey and sometimes picks up some very funny and off-putting smells. How often are you meant to clean an oven and what is the best way?

Well, the truth is that many of us don't clean our ovens often enough or correctly, leaving grit and grease to build up very unnecessarily. Your oven should be cleaned every three months at least, but we recommend once a month because you want to keep your kitchen clean, hygienic and in good condition.

So let's explore some of the best ways to clean an oven!

Tips and tricks to clean the oven without using chemicals

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With climate change, the hole in the ozone layer and pollution, households are opting to live more eco-friendly, environmentally-conscious and green lifestyles. Believe it or not, this even extends to cleaning.

It is possible to clean the house without using harmful chemicals that contribute to pollution, even when you're cleaning the kitchen. In fact, today in this ideabook we are going to explore several ways that we can clean even the toughest of stains in the oven without touching a chemical!

Determine what type of oven you have

There are many different types of ovens and each type of oven requires a different cleaning method, so before you get started it's good to work out what kind of oven is installed in your kitchen.

You may even be surprised to learn that there are self-cleaning ovens. These are more modern ovens, often designed in a very sleek and smart look, like this design by HO Architects & Interiors. These types of ovens feature a setting where leftover food or substances are turned to ash.

If your home is more old-school, you probably have a non self-cleaning oven. These are the most common. Unfortunately these are the types of ovens that you need to clean all on your own with some good old-fashioned elbow grease.

There are also continuous cleaning ovens, which are designed with a lining that keeps grit from building up.

Clean the oven with salt

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Oven stains are difficult to get rid of, but what better way than to use salt? A great alternative to chemicals and you can use table salt, right from your pantry!

All you need is a paper towel, a scraper, your table salt and a bit of water. The scraper should be sharp enough to be able to lift the grime, but not too sharp that it's going to damage your oven lining. Opt for rubber or wood rather than metal.

Use the paper towel to lightly wet or dampen the stains. Shake a few layers of salt onto the stain and leave it to sit there for about 10 to 15 minutes. Salt is great because it will lift the grease or the stain, leaving very little work for you to do. Use another paper towel to blot at the stain with warm water. Wipe at it until it all lifts up into the paper towel.

Repeat for a few times until the oven is sparkly clean!

Clean the oven with lemon

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Another great natural substance that already exists in the kitchen is lemon!

Remember that chemicals are not just harmful to the environment. They can also be very dangerous. Chemicals can harm our skin and burn our eyes. If your children get hold of them, they can also be incredibly harmful. But lemon? Lemon is safe, easy and natural.

Mix a big bowl of warm water with four spoons of lemon juice. Dip a cloth or a paper towel into the bowl and get to work. You'll end up with a glistening kitchen, just like this one by Miguel Ferreira Architects.

Clean the oven with vineger

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Vinegar can be used for so many different things, so it's probably of no surprise that it can be used to clean your oven too!

Cleaning an oven with vinegar is easy and cheap and once again, vinegar is something you should already have in your home. If not, stock up on a few bottles from local grocery store.

Once your oven has cooled down after use, combine water and vinegar to create a cleaning solution. Pour it into a bottle with a spray top. Use it to spray the inside of the oven with the water and vinegar substance and then close the oven door and let the substance sit in the oven for half an hour.

After half an hour, use a cloth to wipe up the substance. Any grease, grime or stains should wipe away too.

Clean the oven with baking soda

Baking soda is also fantastic and it can be used in conjunction with lemon or vinegar. In fact, we have a quick and easy solution that involves these substances.

Mix warm water with lemon juice or vinegar as well as a few teaspoons of baking soda. Put it into a baking tray, pop it in the oven and bake it for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. After 30 minutes wait for the oven to cool, removing the baking tray. Dip a cloth in the cleaning substance and use it to wipe the oven out. Not only will the oven become squeaky clean but it will also smell nice too.

Clean the oven with soap

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When in doubt, traditional dish washing liquid soap is the next best bet.

Liquid soap is easy to use and safer than other cleaning chemicals. All you need to do is squirt some onto a cloth, dip in warm water and start scrubbing. Invest in a good pair of rubber gloves so that you can really scrub right into the deep corners of the oven.

Try each of these methods and see what works best for you, your kitchen and your family. There is nothing better than a clean oven with a fresh smell. Cooking is that much better when you're using a clean oven.